Arsenal showed Chelsea are beatable. What does that mean for the title race?

Look at Sam Kerr’s roar of frustration as she made her way back to the bench, or Erin Cuthbert lying flat out in the Arsenal goalmouth, hands on head, after missing a golden opportunity to bring her side back into the game. Look at Aggie Beever-Jones or Johanna Rytting Kaneryd’s uncharacteristic hesitancy in the box in the second half, or the three shots Lauren James struck off-target in the final ten minutes.

Listen to Sonia Bompastor in the post-match press conference, unable to answer after being asked what had caused her side’s run of seven points in five Women’s Super League games.

In so many ways, Chelsea did not look like Chelsea on Saturday: they looked beatable.

Bompastor’s comments took place against a soundtrack of muffled dance music, presumably coming from the nearby away dressing room as Arsenal’s players celebrated a first win away at Chelsea in the league since September 2018.

After an even but goalless first half, Beth Mead slotted Arsenal in front ten minutes after the break and Mariona Caldentey doubled the lead just after the hour. Chelsea let a series of promising chances go begging and are now six points behind leaders Manchester City, who play eighth-placed London City Lionesses today.

There are simply not enough superlatives to explain the excellence of @ArsenalWFC’s Mariona Caldentey 🌟#BarclaysWSLpic.twitter.com/YBHC7KTCvP

— Barclays Women’s Super League (@BarclaysWSL) January 24, 2026

The most significant thing about Saturday’s result, though, is not necessarily its implications for the title race, in which City were already clear favourites. It is more that Chelsea’s aura of invincibility took a major beating.

Chelsea have lost before. Everton, who sit tenth, beat them 1-0 in December — but that felt like a defeat against the run of play, which could mostly be put down to Chelsea’s wastefulness (as well as Everton’s dogged defending). This was different; this time they were outplayed.

Renee Slegers’ game plan worked perfectly, with Emily Fox and Katie McCabe pinning wing-backs Sandy Baltimore and Ellie Carpenter. The pair, usually crucial to how Chelsea progress up the pitch, had little space and were not able to link up with the forward line. Arsenal’s press saw Chelsea struggle to play out from the back, and they struggled to pick their way through the midfield, having to resort to long balls. Alyssa Thompson, playing up front with Kerr, was the main outlet — but her constant chasing in the channels stopped her threatening in the central area.

Chelsea were physically outfought, too, unable to make any of their nine corners count. Bompastor said her side were “not aggressive enough”, allowing Arsenal too much space to build their confidence.

Their finishing let them down, as it has multiple times this season. Of their 18 attempts, only one — a long-range effort from Lucy Bronze, comfortably saved — was on target. What is worrying for Chelsea is that this poor finishing is no longer a blip or a dry spell; it has persisted throughout the campaign. They have still scored in all but two of their games this season, but no longer feel like the same inevitable force in front of goal.

That bluntness is one thing — but the major lesson the rest of the WSL will take from today is that Chelsea can be outplayed. Rather than sitting back and hoping that Chelsea’s huffing and puffing will not blow their house down, there are ways to proactively hurt them.

Chelsea have looked imperfect before. They have looked wasteful before. But they have never looked low on confidence. Their dominance has been built on a deep, high-quality squad, and an unshakeable belief that they will come out on top. That is now being truly tested, as was clear from Bompastor’s words post-match.

“Sometimes you need to recognise the other team was better than us today,” Bompastor said. “I think that’s what brings the excitement in this league, because the competition is high and I think to be able to perform in every game and to win every game, it’s tough.”

She is, of course, absolutely right. Chelsea’s consistency has defied logic — but they have never seemed to doubt their ability to keep it up. If they allow that faith in themselves to slip, it will only feed other teams’ confidence.

If Beth Mead has time and space, there is only ever ONE outcome 🔥@ArsenalWFC@BarclaysWSLpic.twitter.com/JBMG6r9Fo6

— Barclays Women’s Super League (@BarclaysWSL) January 24, 2026

So what does a beatable Chelsea mean?

For Manchester City, their path to the title is clearer than ever. If they beat London City, they will move nine points clear — and have the opportunity to deal Chelsea a body blow in person next weekend when Bompastor’s side come to the Joie Stadium. For the rest of the chasing pack — Arsenal, Manchester United, and Tottenham Hotspur — it means the Champions League race feels more open than ever. Chelsea are only in the top three by four points, and Tottenham and United have a game in hand.

For Chelsea, being beatable means their guard must be up. Not every WSL side has the quality that Arsenal used to exploit their weaknesses today, or to execute a similar gameplan — but the few that do will be smelling blood. They still need to face City and United again in the league, as well as a possible Champions League quarter-final against Arsenal if Slegers’ side make it through the playoffs.

Chelsea know what it is to be the team everyone wants to beat, and have worn that as a badge of honour. The challenge now is to stop it from becoming a target on their backs.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

Arsenal, Chelsea, Women's Soccer

2026 The Athletic Media Company